Five Ways to Kill a Man

Summary and Analysis of Five Ways to Kill a Man by Edwin Brock “Five Ways to Kill a Man” by Edwin Brock mocks at the dehumanization of man. The poem describes the various ways that man has used, beginning from the ancient times to the 20th century, to kill other human beings. The methods he has used are crucifixion, lancing, gassing, bombing etc. Summary: Stanza 1: The very first stanza of the poem, ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ begins with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The method used to torture him and kill him are termed as ‘cumbersome’ by the poet. A whole crowd walks up a hill as they force him to carry the cross upon his back. Earlier, St. Peter had denied thrice to have known him when he was asked whether he was in the company of Jesus. The cock crowed to remind Peter that Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Christ thrice before the cock would crow. Jesus was nailed to the cross and the cross was then pulled erect. Later on, Christ was asked to remove his cloak, so that he would not be able to have a proper burial and his corpse would be left on top of the hill semi-clad. Christ was tortured in many ways. When Christ asked for water, they gave him sponge soaked in vinegar tied to a rod which they put into his mouth. Eventually, Jesus died and they waited there and watched him die. Stanza 2: The second stanza talks about the medieval age when wars were fought for the sake of crown and honour. This is a reference to the Wars of Roses (1455-1485), a series of dynastic wars fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of England. There, the knights foolishly slaughtered each other with hook axes and hammers which could pierce the armour with ease. They rode and faced the opponents on white horses, attacking them with swords, ready to kill or to be killed. The poet calls this game of jousting as futile because nothing was accomplished, one man always ended up losing his life and the other celebrated his death. Similarly, crowns used to go on conquering sprees, fighting huge wars to annex small kingdoms. Tow countries would go to war and thousands o f people would die on both sides, before one prince would emerge as ‘victorious.’ Then the prince would throw a banquet, celebrating his victory and the deaths of the numerous people he killed. Stanza 3: The third stanza of ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ is about the First World War. The poet says that this period did not require Princes or loyal knights to kill. They only needed the favourable wind direction to blow the deadly gas towards their opponents. The poet here refers to the poisonous gas warfare that was popular during the World War. In 1915, the British used gas cylinders on the Germans. However, the wind direction changed and the gas came back to the British soldiers and poisoned them. Edwin Brock also describes the horrors of bombs, mud-blackened boots, plague of mice and the miserable living conditions in the ditches. The poet talks about all those patriotic songs that were sung to boost the morale of the soldiers and make them feel proud for killing their enemies. Stanza 4: The advent of the airplane and the atomic bomb is what the fourth stanza is about. Here in this very stanza, he is referring to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the USA during the Second World War. He says that this required

‘an ocean to separate you’ referring to the cultural gap between America and Japan; ‘two systems of government’ referring to the difference in the administrative systems of the two countries; a ‘nation’s scientists’ and ‘several factories’ to produce lethal weapons of mass destruction like an atomic bomb. This horrible act of mass killing was executed by a ‘psychopath’ possibly referring to the then President of the USA, Harry S. Truman who authorized the bombing on Japan. ‘Land that no one needs for several years’ is a reference to regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were completely destroyed by the effects of radiation. Stanza 5: The final stanza talks about the far simple and more direct methods to kill a man. The poet says that methods described in the first four stanzas were too cumbersome. The simpler and direct method to kill someone is by leaving the victim somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. Here, Edwin Brock is referring to the miserable and tragic conditions which were prevalent after the Second World War, which included poverty, hunger, malnutrition, diseases, religious intolerance and joblessness. In such terrible conditions, man was already dying of pain every day in order to survive. Theme: ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ focuses on the loss of humanity in man with every passing era. The poem describes the methods used by man to kill other men for his own selfish motives. The first stanza talks about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the second is about the medieval age, the third and fourth stanzas talk about the First and Second World War, respectively. The poet wants to convey a message through this poem. He wants to say that man has become devoid of emotions and sympathy. Man has developed newer scientific methods which has made killing easier and faster. People kill one another, physically or mentally to survive in the world today. Children are dying of hunger, malnutrition and diseases. People have to endure pain in order to survive and therefore, they are dying a slow death. Thus, the poem wants to highlight the fact that though man acquired new methods to discover, create but the basic human tendency to kill remain unchanged. Form and Language: The poem is composed in free verse with no end rhyming scheme. The descriptions of the ways of killing a man are chronologically arranged. Each stanza depicts one possible way to kill a man. Every stanza except the last stanza consists of run-on lines. Run-on lines suggest that the rhythm does not conform to any structure and is free flowing. The poem is written in a simple language to describe the different ways to kill a man. The words are used cold and blunt. The words used to describe the crucifixion of Christ depict the lack of humanity and emotionless nature of man. Allusion: There are several allusions in the poem, ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man.’ The first stanza of the poem alludes to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This is done by describing the method by which Jesus was crucified. He was forced to carry a plank of wood up to Golgotha hill. On the way, a big hostile crowd accompanied him and humiliated him. He was tortured and nailed to the cross where he eventually died. The second stanza refers to the Wars of Roses to illustrate how wars were fought for the sake of crown and honour during the medieval age.

The third stanza refers to gas warfare in the First World War. The fourth stanza refers to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945, by the USA. Poetical Devices: Alliteration: The examples of the alliteration are as follows,*cock that crows *hammer the nails home *mile of mud *black boots *small switch *much more Assonance: Example of assonance is: *bows and arrows Personification: ‘..if the wind allows, blow gas at him’ is an example of fine personification in the poem. Hyperbole: ‘and attempt to pierce the metal cage he wears’ is an example of a hyperbole to define the cruel acts of killing a man.

Describe the five ways that the poet describes to kill a man. “Five Ways to Kill a Man” by Edwin Brock mocks at the dehumanization of man. The poem describes the various ways that man has used, beginning from the ancient times to the 20th century, to kill other human beings. The methods he has used are crucifixion, lancing, gassing, bombing etc. The very first stanza of the poem, ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ begins with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The method used to torture him and kill him are termed as ‘cumbersome’ by the poet. A whole crowd walks up a hill as they force him to carry the cross upon his back. Earlier, St. Peter had denied thrice to have known him when he was asked whether he was in the company of Jesus. The cock crowed to remind Peter that Jesus had predicted that Peter would deny Christ thrice before the cock would crow. Jesus was nailed to the cross and the cross was then pulled erect. Later on, Christ was asked to remove his cloak, so that he would not be able to have a proper burial and his corpse would be left on top of the hill semi-clad. Christ was tortured in many ways. When Christ asked for water, they gave him sponge soaked in vinegar tied to a rod which they put into his mouth. Eventually, Jesus died and they waited there and watched him die. The second stanza talks about the medieval age when wars were fought for the sake of crown and honour. This is a reference to the Wars of Roses (1455-1485), a series of dynastic wars fought between the Houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of

England. There, the knights foolishly slaughtered each other with hook axes and hammers which could pierce the armour with ease. They rode and faced the opponents on white horses, attacking them with swords, ready to kill or to be killed. The poet calls this game of jousting as futile because nothing was accomplished, one man always ended up losing his life and the other celebrated his death. Similarly, crowns used to go on conquering sprees, fighting huge wars to annex small kingdoms. Two countries would go to war and thousands o f people would die on both sides, before one prince would emerge as ‘victorious.’ Then the prince would throw a banquet, celebrating his victory and the deaths of the numerous people he killed. The third stanza of ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ is about the First World War. The poet says that this period did not require Princes or loyal knights to kill. They only needed the favourable wind direction to blow the deadly gas towards their opponents. The poet here refers to the poisonous gas warfare that was popular during the World War. In 1915, the British used gas cylinders on the Germans. However, the wind direction changed and the gas came back to the British soldiers and poisoned them. Edwin Brock also describes the horrors of bombs, mud-blackened boots, plague of mice and the miserable living conditions in the ditches. The poet talks about all those patriotic songs that were sung to boost the morale of the soldiers and make them feel proud for killing their enemies. : The advent of the airplane and the atomic bomb is what the fourth stanza is about. Here in this very stanza, he is referring to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the USA during the Second World War. This horrible act of mass killing was executed by a ‘psychopath’ possibly referring to the then President of the USA, Harry S. Truman who authorized the bombing on Japan. ‘Land that no one needs for several years’ is a reference to regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were completely destroyed by the effects of radiation. The final stanza talks about the far simple and more direct methods to kill a man. The poet says that methods described in the first four stanzas were too cumbersome. The simpler and direct method to kill someone is by leaving the victim somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. Here, Edwin Brock is referring to the miserable and tragic conditions which were prevalent after the Second World War, which included poverty, hunger, malnutrition, diseases, religious intolerance and joblessness. In such terrible conditions, man was already dying of pain every day in order to survive. Thus, the poem wants to highlight the fact that though man acquired new methods to discover, create but the basic human tendency to kill remain unchanged.

Discuss the theme of the poem, ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ by Edwin Brock

“Five Ways to Kill a Man” by Edwin Brock mocks at the dehumanization of man. The poem is written in a simple language to describe the different ways to kill a man. The words are used cold and blunt. The main theme of the poem is the loss of humanity in mankind with every passing era. Man has an natural instinct to fight, kill and to destroy. The poem describes the various ways man has devised since ancient times to take lives of his fellow human beings for his own selfish motives. Each stanza of the poem deals with one killing method of man that is inflicted on the other. The very first stanza of the poem, ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’ begins with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. A whole crowd walks up a hill as they force him to carry the cross upon his back. Jesus was nailed to the cross and the cross was then pulled erect. Later on, Christ was asked to remove his cloak, so that he would not be able to have a proper burial and his corpse would be left on top of the hill semi-clad. Christ was tortured in many ways. When Christ asked for water, they gave him sponge soaked in vinegar tied to a rod which they put into his mouth. Eventually, Jesus died and they waited there and watched him die. The first stanza has dark undertones of sarcasm in it. The method used to torture him and kill him are termed as ‘cumbersome’ by the poet. The sheer lack of humanity on the part of the crowd which watches a man brutally crucified is portrayed in the first stanza. The second stanza moves to the medieval age. There, the knights foolishly slaughtered each other with hook axes and hammers which could pierce the armour with ease. They rode and faced the opponents on white horses, attacking them with swords, ready to kill or to be killed.Similarly, crowns used to go on conquering sprees, fighting huge wars to annex small kingdoms. Two countries would go to war and thousands o f people would die on both sides, before one prince would emerge as ‘victorious.’ Then the prince would throw a banquet, celebrating his victory and the deaths of the numerous people he killed. The poet then moves on to the topic of World Wars in which it was lot easier to kill due to the advent of science. The use of atomic bombs which can kill millions and millions of people just with the touch of a button. . In 1915, the British used gas cylinders on the Germans. The poet then refers to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan by the USA during the Second World War. This horrible act of mass killing was executed by a ‘psychopath’ possibly referring to the then President of the USA, Harry S. Truman who authorized the bombing on Japan. ‘Land that no one needs for several years’ is a reference to regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were completely destroyed by the effects of radiation. In the final stanza, the poet argues that there is no need to adopt cumbersome ways of killing men in the 20th century. This era is already infested with diseases, destitution, accidents, wars and hatred which is enough to kill a person. Through ‘Five Ways to Kill a Man’, Edwin Brock conveys the message of how man dehumanizes himself as he progresses. Man has made life comfortable by inventing more and more scientific technology, at the same time, he is also acquiring new

methods to make killing more easier. Every single day children die of diseases, malnutrition, people become victims of joblessness, poverty, hunger and religious conflicts. Thus, the poem highlights the fact that man changes with time and his reasons for his killing too.